Father Bai also went to watch Mother Bai tell a storytelling performance, and when he heard the exciting part, he was the first to lead the applause.
“Sun Wukong has been expelled from his master’s school, what will become of him, we’ll break it down next time.”
Mother Bai was really good at hooking people now.
Down below, there were men, women, old and young, some dissatisfied, some discussing what the next part of the plot would be.
The people under the big willow tree still had not dispersed for the time being.
Father Bai squeezed up to the production team leader’s side. “Eldest uncle, my Tian Fen told it pretty well, right?”
The production team leader nodded when he heard that. “Pretty well, really pretty well. We never knew Tian Fen had this ability before.”
Father Bai had come prepared. “Eldest uncle, look at this. Turns out this storytelling performance is a proper art. It can earn wages and even get into the newspaper.”
The production team leader became even more interested. “Let me see, it really is.”
Father Bai continued, “I also saw this newspaper before I encouraged the children’s mother to pick up the drum storytelling again. You know our couple are not that capable. Eldest uncle, what do you think, if I let the children’s mother go to the town to try, could she find some way to make a living?”
The production team leader was stunned. He had not expected Father Bai to have this idea, and had thought he just liked this sort of thing, talking about it for fun. He had not expected him to still want to go to town. “Pretty unlikely, the town doesn’t need this either.”
Father Bai was very troubled. “Then would we have to go to the county seat or the city? I already blew that boast, said I’d let the children’s mother practice hard, and I’d definitely find her something where she wouldn’t have to do any labor.”
The production team leader did not know what to say anymore, and felt that Father Bai’s boast was probably going to be blown apart.
He even felt a bit like watching a joke. “Then why don’t you go try.”
Father Bai scratched his head, very troubled. “What a mess, I spoke too soon. But I remember that two years ago when the town was showing a movie, someone said they were also going to send people to perform programs, but they never came. Could it be they wanted someone to tell storytelling performance?”
The production team leader thought about it for a moment, and remembered what the township head had said. He said that in order not to delay the autumn harvest, the town wanted to organize a consolation troupe to go down to the production teams, but later, for some reason, there was no further movement.
Thinking of this, he could not help feeling moved.
“Forget it, forget it, tomorrow I won’t let the children’s mother come out anymore, practicing is useless.” Father Bai sighed and shook his head.
The production team leader hurried to stop him. “Don’t, she tells it pretty well, so many people like listening to it.”
Father Bai looked a little down. “You still don’t know my wife, she isn’t a diligent person. If I hadn’t dangled a piece of meat in front of her, she wouldn’t have been willing to come out and practice every day, she’d already be lying in the house.”
The production team leader believed that very much. “Later I’ll discuss it with the accountant and the others, and give your wife a few work points. That way it would count as earning money too.”
Father Bai was very surprised. “It really can be like that? The team can agree?”
Sure enough, his daughter’s brain was the clever one. Talking about this meant asking for a sky-high price, first dragging the matter toward the town and the county seat, because they absolutely could not directly tell them their purpose.
So from the very beginning, Father Bai’s purpose had been to get his wife a few work points.
As for going to the town or the county seat, he had better stop dreaming.
A pie does not fall from the sky.
“We’ll have to discuss it some more, and then hold a whole-team meeting.” The production team leader made no promise, patted his shoulder, and left.
Father Bai muttered, “I don’t know if it’ll work…” and also went home.
He and his daughter had agreed that before this matter had a result, they would not tell his wife.
At the production team’s whole-team meeting.
“Why is the production team leader holding another meeting, what part has Sun Monkey reached today?”
Someone even shouted directly, “Production team leader, hurry up, there’s something urgent!”
How could the production team leader not know what they were anxious about? “The town has sent down a document asking us to put on some programs, and when autumn harvest comes, we’ll go from production team to production team to perform. If any of you have a skill, don’t keep hiding it, hurry up and show it. I’m telling you, we won’t perform for free, there are work points.”
Bai Shuhua knew Mother Bai’s chance had come, and hurried to nudge Mother Bai. “Mother, raise your hand.”
Mother Bai was a little conflicted, but still did not dare. “No, no, with this little bit of ability I don’t dare go out and make a fool of myself.”
“Mother, do you want to do farm work for the rest of your life? When autumn harvest comes, they’ll be exhausted to death, you only have to tell storytelling performance, and you still get work points. Compare the two and make a choice.” Bai Shuhua knew her own mother’s weak spot too well.
Mother Bai shot her hand up in a whoosh, and, afraid the production team leader could not see it, she shouted, “I can do storytelling drum performances!”
The crowd immediately laughed, and all praised her.
“Right, Third Brother’s wife tells Sun Monkey really with a lot of energy!”
“It’s great to listen to!”
…
The production team leader curled the corner of his mouth. “Fine, Third Brother’s wife is first. Anyone else? This can earn work points.”
After all, work points were very tempting. Someone else volunteered, “Production team leader, I sing well!”
“You’d better save it, you sound like a braying donkey, and you call that singing?”
“You’re just stretching your throat and howling, how is that singing!”
…
Everyone was mainly going for “real skill” and “family first.” Later, the two others who volunteered also did not pass.
Mother Bai became the only hot commodity.
The production team leader also did not drag it out. “Let Third Brother’s wife practice first. Later we’ll take a trip to the town. If she gets chosen, then that will bring honor to our production team. Even full work points would be too little. Fine, I won’t delay everyone from listening to storytelling performance anymore. Third Brother’s wife, hurry home and get the drum.”
Originally someone might still have objected to full work points, but the good storytelling performance was waiting for them, and besides, when listening to someone else, their mouths go soft, so this matter passed.
That night, Father and Mother Bai chatted on the kang.
Mother Bai was very unconfident. “Children’s father, do you think I can do it? The production team leader even said to let me tell storytelling performance to the township head.”
Father Bai encouraged her. “Why not? You just move your lips and won’t have to go work in the fields, and it’s still full work points. If you think about it that way, isn’t that enough?”
Mother Bai was indeed led astray. “Can it really be full work points, male work points or female work points?”
One had to know that the full work point standards for men and women in the production team were not the same.
“No matter which, it’s still more than what you earn going into the fields.” Father Bai persuaded her. “If you can help our production team become an excellent production team, the production team leader will definitely be willing to give you male full work points.”
Mother Bai did not fall for it. “I don’t have that ability. Everyone wants to be an excellent production team. Not to mention anything else, just being the first to turn in the state grain quota would save how much trouble.”
Father Bai added, “It would also save grain.”
Bai Shuhua was very puzzled. What did that have to do with saving grain?
Could it be that once they got the certificate for “excellent production team,” they could get an 80 percent discount when turning in grain or something?
This also showed Bai Shuhua’s lack of understanding of farm work. Newly harvested rice still had moisture in it, so it had to be dried before being turned in as state grain.
But if they were placed farther back in line, they could not spray water on the rice. The rice could only get drier, which meant it weighed less, so they would have to hand in more grain.
So for the sake of profit, everyone was willing to compete for this excellent title.
“Children’s father, what do I say when I see the township head, and still tell Journey to the West? That won’t do, that’s for children to listen to.” Mother Bai circled back again.
Father Bai comforted her. “What’s wrong with Journey to the West? The adults and children in our team all like listening to it. But the township head is a big leader, maybe he’s different from us common folk. Later I’ll look through the newspapers. Aren’t there also some stories there? We can adapt them a bit, maybe they’ll also be usable for storytelling.”
Mother Bai somehow had confidence in Father Bai. “It’s still the children’s father who has ability.”
Father Bai’s mouth was even sweeter. “What ability do I have? I’m still counting on you to get full work points to support the family, my wife is even more capable!”
Bai Shuhua hurriedly closed her eyes and went to sleep. She had a feeling that next it would again be unsuitable for children.
She especially hoped her parents would become successful, so they would have money to build a house. She wanted to sleep by herself.